Pro wrestler DJ Z on Filipino pride and life in the ring

Ryan Songalia

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Pro wrestler DJ Z on Filipino pride and life in the ring
The wrestling DJ formerly known as Zema Ion talks about representing the Philippines on national TV and some of his favorite moments in the ring

MANILA, Philippines – His DJ air horn effects signal his arrival to the ring, but it’s his high flying athleticism and charismatic comedy chops that leave a lasting impression on wrestling fans.

He’s Michael Paris, known better by his ring name DJ Z, and he’s among the most innovative and charismatic young wrestlers appearing on Total Nonstop Action Impact Wrestling today.

The former TNA X Division champion has portrayed different characters on screen, beginning with a male model before evolving to the hair obsessed disc jockey he is today.

While DJ Z may be proud of his blue mohawk, he’s also proud of his Filipino heritage.

The Chicago-based high flyer is billed from the Philippines when he appears on national television in the United States, and has throughout his career incorporated the Philippine flag colors into his outfit.

His Pinoy pride is more than some gimmick; it’s a tribute to the sacrifices his mother made to give he and his two siblings a good life, and the values she instilled in them.

Paris is the oldest of 3 children born to a mother from Pampanga, Philippines, who came to the United States as a mail order bride in 1985 to start a new life. After Paris’ father died when he was 5 years old, his mother was a single mom in a far-off land.

“To this day I have no idea how she was able to raise 3 kids who all graduated college and went on to do successful things,” says Paris.

“I’m very proud of her, and very proud to have grown up Filipino in a Filipino household. She’s one of a kind, I’ve got to tell you.”

Growing up with a Filipino mom meant an immersion in the culture – food, parties – everything but the Tagalog language, which Paris says wasn’t pushed on him much.

Another reason why his Filipino heritage has been central to his character is the lack of representation in the industry. While Mexico and Japan have many iconic wrestlers, Filipinos are scarcely represented outside of former World Wrestling Entertainment champion Dave Batista and fellow TNA X-Division wrestler Manik AKA TJ Perkins.

“Maybe there’s Filipinos that are watching wrestling and now they have somebody to cheer for that they can relate to,” said Paris.

“It’s great that there are other Filipinos out there too who are proud of their heritage like TJ Perkins or Batista. We’re slowly getting the little scene started here.”

(READ: Fil-Am pro wrestler TJ Perkins on Filipino pride, chasing your dreams)

When joking about balut, he tells of the time he tried to get his BroMans tag team partner Jessie Godderz to eat the exotic egg delicacy, but to no avail. 

Ring Dreams

Paris found time to study at West Virginia University, but wrestling has always been a dream of his. At age 15, he became a part of wrestling history when his contest submission became the first logo for respected independent company Ring of Honor. At an ROH show in Pittsburgh, Paris met future WWE champion CM Punk and indy wrestler Colt Cabana, who introduced him to local promoter Norm Connors, who enrolled him in a local wrestling school.

His journey through pro wrestling has been as much fun behind the scenes as it has been in front of the camera. He’s a self-confessed ribber (prankster) backstage, and his most notable botch wasn’t in a match, but in his TNA debut promo, when his original ring name Shiima Xion became Zema Ion.

“Do you remember the band Disturbed? When I was 16 I thought Disturbed was awesome, but today I probably wouldn’t listen to Disturbed. It’s just the same thing, like Shiima Xion. I came up with this name when I was 16 years old, and as I started getting older and becoming a pro wrestler, I was stuck with this name that I didn’t even like.”

Years later he was given the name Zema Ion in TNA, and wound up gaffing his own name on TV.

“Would you believe it, full circle, after years of people mispronouncing my name, I mispronounced my own name on national television. I called myself Zema ‘Eon’ because I wasn’t entirely sure how to pronounce it.”

(WATCH: A prologue to the Philippine Wrestling Revolution)

Paris says the late Rick Rude would’ve been his dream opponent, and says his matches with former WWE champion Rob Van Dam “are definitely special to me.”

Paris (R) says his matches with Rob Van Dam (L) "are definitely special to me." Screenshot from YouTube

Despite his success, Paris remains his own toughest critic. He admits that he’s still trying to find his identity since the break-up of the popular BroMans team (of which Paris was their “official” DJ) earlier this year, which is an angle that he felt still had a lot of life left in it.

“Now here I am, solo in the X Division, still trying to find myself and where I belong. It’s a transition period but sooner or later we’re gonna figure it all out.”

Where does the 29-year-old see his career heading next? TNA is in a transition period itself, with its run on U.S. cable network Destination America drawing to a close, and a new deal with Pop TV set to start on January 5, 2016.

Still, he remains as optimistic as ever, and whether his next step is another run as X Division champion, or competing with the top names for the TNA title, or even moving to WWE developmental territory NXT, he’s confident he’ll be a success.

“I definitely can see myself on a larger stage, it just depends if I’ll get the opportunity to do so,” said Paris.

“I think you’ll definitely keep seeing me involved in wrestling for quite some time now and the sky is the limit for me now and the future’s looking bright. So stay tuned and hopefully one day I’ll see you guys in the Philippines.” – Rappler.com

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